Editor’s Log 032

Rihanna in EE72, partying with Griff, and the Obama Presidential Center

Hey everyone,

Welcome back to the Editor’s Log. I know it’s a Wednesday, I’m two days late. Shoot me. Tomorrow is my last exam ever, and then it’s freedom, and on-time newsletters, for the rest of my life (or, well, until I start uni in September). Safe to say, I’ll be active every night this summer.

Monday

Rihanna looks amazing on the cover of EE72. Of course she does, it’s Rihanna. Cover of the year, perhaps? It feels very vintage and yet still very now. Shot by Szilveszter Mako, who also did that viral Elle Fanning shoot a while back. The man is on a run.

Tuesday

Evilgiane’s new album drops this Friday, set to feature Nourished by Time, xaviersobased, YT, and plenty more. I love his work with Jawnino and John Glacier, but I’ve never really dug into the rest of his discography, so hopefully this is a nice way in. Especially intrigued by the Nourished by Time and Kwes E features.

Wednesday

N4T was in Dazed! I really enjoyed ’GHANAMUSTGO,’ and it’s a lovely chat digging into the project (RIP BeauBeau’s). Though, if I’m honest, I think it would’ve landed better dropping closer to the next album.

The trailer for The Social Reckoning is out. I’m not one for unnecessary sequels (Devil Wears Prada 2 and the later Toy Story films will not be seeing me) so I take anything like this with a generous pinch of salt. That said, Jeremy Strong looks great as Mark Zuckerberg; it’s the same muscle that made him so good as Roy Cohn in The Apprentice. I think I’ll watch this one. Wary, but I’ll watch.

Thursday

66 North very kindly invited me to pick up a new jacket for summer, and I blagged a hat and some socks while I was at it. Perfect timing, too, because I’m planning a trip up to Scotland with my dad and my dog this summer. We’re heading to the Highlands, so if anyone has recommendations, send them my way!

Then I had an exam before hitting the ASICS x Griff party. I’d never had a Negroni, and I can now confirm I really do not enjoy a Negroni, but the sushi going round was lovely, and the space, designed by Kat Milne, was beautifully done. I really like Kat Milne’s work. She also did the Climax shop here in London, which somehow feels sterile and uninviting, unlike this space, which felt warm. Strange and impressive given the two are clearly cut from the same cloth.

After that, the opening of Basic Space at the Old Selfridges Hotel. Not the best-curated thing I’ve ever seen, but at the end of the day it’s a posh car-boot sale for rich design fiends, so what was I expecting. Cool to see more of YY’s work in the flesh, plus a few other bits and bobs, though nothing else really blew me away.

Friday

David Hockney died. I’ve never truly been a fan of the work, but the influence and legacy are undeniable. I should probably sit down and give it all another proper look.

In its first London sale of South Asian modern and contemporary art in seven years, all 93 lots at Christie’s sold above their presale estimates. Kattingeri Krishna Hebbar and Abanindranath Tagore (yes, nephew of the legendary, if slightly controversial, Rabindranath Tagore) both set auction records. South Asian art is clearly having a moment on the circuit; how much of that money actually reaches South Asian artists, though, I’m far less hopeful about.

RWD Magazine is back! I do wonder whether it’s quite the right moment, and whether they can reposition for a younger generation, but I’m rooting for them.

I hit up the Westside Gunn popup with a friend. The prices were ludicrous (cheapest record was around £400, plus £75 for the man himself to sign it), so, safe to say, I bought nothing. Then on the walk home we found a £300 JD gift card lying on an otherwise deserted street. The universe provides. We definitely had fun that day.

Saturday

We’ve got our first proper look at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. There was a great interview in The New Yorker a couple of weeks ago about where he’s at, how he’s feeling these days, and how hands-on he was with the design. I’m no Obama fan (though, god knows, better him than Trump), but I do like the center: public library, playground, museum, etc... Hopefully a productive addition to the area.

Sunday

Heidi Blake wrote a phenomenal, and deeply disturbing, investigative piece for The New Yorker, unpacking Andrew Tate’s rise to the top of the manosphere. Enlightening and grim in equal measure. 100% recommend.

Until next week,

Sik

P.S. No defining song of the summer this year. How curious.